Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable under the gaze of everyone.

He said angrily, "What's wrong? It's just a plate! So what if it breaks?"

"...There's nothing I can do about it, but these are plates provided by the food competition..." Situ Liang said coolly.

He couldn't help but think to himself: "Is this guy Yan Wenli brought on a mission? He gives me the feeling that he's about to explode at any moment."

"It's just a broken plate, I'll pay for it!!" Xin Heng's face turned red with anger.

Yan Wenli smoothly picked up the thread: "Minister Xin is really rich. Why don't you stop chasing me for money and consider taking some for yourself..."

Want some for yourself?

Does this sound like a word?

He's not out of his mind; besides, even ten of him couldn't come up with that much money.

"Yan Wenli, listen to yourself! Are you even speaking human language?"

Yan Wenli choked on his words. It was indeed inappropriate to let Xin Heng pay for matters of the court himself.

But the Ministry of Revenue also has its own difficulties.

It wasn't that the Ministry of Revenue didn't want to take the money; it was that they simply didn't have the funds to take out.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about this another day. I'll relax by watching the food competition for a while." Yan Wenli waved his hand.

The Minister of Revenue sounds like a high-ranking official, but it's really not a job that only a human can do.

"Rescheduled again??" Xin Heng frowned; it had been changed several days already.

"Tomorrow, definitely! Tomorrow, definitely!!"

Yan Wenli hurriedly said that he just wanted to coax Xin Heng away and then ask Madam Shen what she wanted to eat later.

Xin Heng asked, half-believing, half-doubting, "Really??"

"Really, don't worry, I'll definitely give you an explanation tomorrow!!"

"That's for the best!" Xin Heng sneered.

To be honest, it was too crowded here, and he didn't want to stay here at all.

As long as Yan Wenli keeps his promise, he'll be happy to go home as soon as possible.

Xin Heng turned and left, just as the third stage of the culinary competition came to an end.

The host is announcing on stage:

"The third stage of the competition has concluded, and twenty contestants have advanced to the fourth stage."

"The fourth stage of the competition will be a themed battle, still using a two-on-one format, with the winner advancing and the loser being eliminated."

"The specific questions will be revealed tomorrow. Contestants can prepare their ingredients in advance, or they can continue to use the ingredients provided by the competition."

"Now, all players, please draw lots to choose your opponents."

As soon as the competition rules were announced, the contestants all became serious.

In a head-to-head match, the skill level of the opponent is very important.

Right now, none of them want to draw Shen Qing, since Shen Qing is the woman who eliminated Li Zhesheng.

Moreover, this is supposed to be a themed competition, and it's said that contestants can prepare ingredients in advance. The ingredients are definitely not fixed, so the term "theme" is worth exploring.

I can't even imagine what kind of questions they'll ask!

By the fourth stage, the competition had become significantly more difficult.

Shen Qing remained calm as before, stepped forward and drew a stick from the divination tube.

Looking down, I saw it was number four.

"Number four!" the servant holding the lottery tube blurted out.

It's no wonder he's so popular; everyone here wants to know who Shen Qing will face off against.

This young man, being on the front lines of gossip, naturally couldn't resist.

"Shen Qing drew number four. I wonder who will be paired with him?"

"Thank God, thank God, please don't let me be grouped with Shen Qing..."

"Please, please, I don't want number four! I still want to make it to the fifth stage of the competition!"

"..."

The audience watched the drama unfold, while the contestants prayed to the gods. After the third stage, everyone finally understood.

Shen Qing's ability to repeatedly turn the tide is not due to any connections, but to his genuine strength.

Of course, some contestants remained arrogant. For example, Kong Lingxian, the inheritor of Shandong cuisine, believed that Shen Qing, who came from a small county town and had not undergone systematic culinary training, had only won against Li Zhesheng by using some methods unknown to others.

In terms of culinary skills, Lee Cheol-sung is definitely more skilled.

However, Li Zhesheng must have lost his mind, refusing even the Golden Chopsticks Token...

Kong Lingxian held Shen Qing in contempt, and even looked forward to facing him.

Looking at the lottery results, it was number eight.

"...What a pity..." he sighed to himself.

Just then, a wail came from the side.

"Number four...??"

"Why am I so unlucky? Why did I have to draw Shen Qing??"

He was a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a small head and a distinctly snobbish look in his eyes.

At this moment, he looked utterly defeated, clutching the "number four" lottery ticket and wailing.

Kong Lingxian turned his head away disdainfully.

He disliked this person even more; he had a calculating look on his face and showed absolutely no respect for the ingredients.

He'd be happy to face Shen Qing either way; he'd be happy no matter who gets eliminated.

The middle-aged man who drew number four was named Gao Hongyuan.

During the third phase, his stove was right next to Kong Lingxian's, and Kong Lingxian saw a lot of his little tricks and therefore disliked him very much.

Gao Hongyuan looked at Shen Qing, his heart filled with bitterness.

He doesn't want to be eliminated, at least not in the fourth stage.

Only by breaking into the top ten will he have a chance to become famous, and only then will his restaurant's business be even better.

Yes, he participated in the food competition purely for fame.

Only by accumulating enough fame in the food competition will his restaurant become more and more popular, and only then will he earn more money.

"Anyone want to switch with me?" he couldn't help but shout.

Number four, how can you even make it into the top ten if you only have number four?

No one answered, and the other contestants didn't want to face Shen Qing.

Kong Lingxian wanted to have a match with Shen Qing, but when he thought about how Gao Hongyuan would benefit from it, he immediately changed his mind.

"All players have completed the draw; exchanges are not permitted!"

"That concludes today's competition!"

Upon the host's announcement, Gao Hongyuan completely collapsed.

The ingredients and the theme of the competition were not explained in advance. We knew nothing about it, and yet we were matched against Shen Qing.

He's not just unlucky, he's had the worst luck imaginable!

No, he needs to think of a solution.

In any case, we can't be eliminated in the fourth stage; we must make it into the top ten, and preferably the top three!

......

Shen Qing didn't take any of this to heart at all.

She has enough strength and enough confidence, not to mention, she also has a system at her disposal.

In the fourth stage, she was not afraid of anything, no matter what the competition was.

"Madam Shen, let's hurry back to the manor. We can discuss what to eat so everyone can prepare in advance!" Yan Wenli said excitedly. Just thinking about the delicious food he would be able to eat again made him feel like he had been injected with chicken blood.

Situ Liang and his apprentice instantly became excited. They loved eating Shen Qing's food and even more so cooking with Shen Qing, as they could learn many tips and tricks from him.

"Can I come along too?" Fang Shanren couldn't help but ask.

Who wouldn't be tempted to have dinner with Madam Shen?

"I want to too..."

Mr. Qingci stared expectantly, his eyes practically overflowing with anticipation.